Various versions of wet mops are available to work on surfaces such as floors. Such mops are used to absorb liquids put or spilled on such floors, sanitize or disinfect surfaces, apply protective coatings, and to clean such surfaces. One common function of such mops is to absorb liquid that is present on a surface such as a floor. Cotton string mops are commonly available and work very well at such purposes. Sponges and other synthetic materials have also been used to absorb liquids.
Another common purpose for such mops is to release a liquid substance to a surface. Sponge mops and polymeric foam mops are commonly used for such purposes as such materials are excellent at absorbing liquid into their structures and then releasing the same liquid substance when pressure is applied to the material. For example, a floor polish or wax is often applied to a floor by a sponge mop.
Scrubbing of a surface is yet another common purpose for mops. Dirt, debris, and stains on a floor are often cleaned up with a mop, usually in working cooperation with water, cleansers, degreasers, soaps, and the like. Cottons string mops work very well at scrubbing a surface and picking of dirt and debris from a floor. However, when such mops are wrung out, the cotton string mop retains some dirt within its structure and appears dirty, even after its first rinsing dunk in the rinse bucket.
Sponges and polymeric foams do not work as well for scrubbing purposes, as they have very little scrub resistance; upon scrubbing, pieces of the sponge are often torn from or otherwise break apart from the sponge. Similarly, polymeric foam mops have excellent absorbency and liquid release, but have the same issues of low abrasion resistance as typical sponge mops. Such poor abrasion resistance results in replacement of such mop substrates on a regular basis and may require additional cleaning of mop pieces that have broken off of the substrate. Some have tried to address this problem by coating such sponges with latex texturing to improve the scrub resistance.
Another issue with cotton strip mops or other such mops is with release of active components from cleansers, disinfectants and sanitizers. One common active ingredient in many disinfectants are quaternary ammonium chlorides, which are commonly referred to as “quats”. The problem is that a substrate may deplete 10-60% of the active quat from the disinfectant, depending on the materials making up the construction of the substrate. The active quats are adsorbed on to the surface of the substrate. For example, a cotton substrate can deplete 60% from active quat from a quat-based disinfectant solution introduced to such a substrate. This reduction of active quats in a disinfectant solution decreases the effectiveness of the solution to kill harmful micro-organisms.
Many sponge and polymeric foam mops do a better job of releasing such active ingredients back to the surface being cleaned rather than adsorbing the active ingredients upon the surface of the substrate. However, as already mentioned, sponge and polymeric foam mops have lower abrasion resistance than most cotton string or other fibrous mops.
Definitions
As used herein, the term “fasteners” means devices that fasten, join, connect, secure, hold, or clamp components together. Fasteners include, but are not limited to, screws, nuts and bolts, rivets, snap-fits, tacks, nails, loop fasteners, and interlocking male/female connectors, such as fishhook connectors, a fish hook connector includes a male portion with a protrusion on its circumference. Inserting the male portion into the female portion substantially permanently locks the two portions together.
As used herein, the term “couple” includes, but is not limited to, joining, connecting, fastening, linking, or associating two things integrally or interstitially together.
As used herein, the term “configure(s)”, “configured” or “configuration(s)” means to design, arrange, set up, or shape with a view to specific applications or uses. For example: a military vehicle that was configured for rough terrain; configured the computer by setting the system's parameters.
As used here, the term “operable” or “operably” means being in a configuration such that use or operation is possible. Similarly, “operably connect(s)” or “operably connected” refers to the relation of elements being so configured that a use or an operation is possible through their cooperation. For example: the machine is operable; the wheel is operably connected to the axle.
As used herein, the term “hinge” refers to a jointed or flexible device that connects and permits pivoting or turning of a part to a stationary component. Hinges include, but are not limited to, metal pivotable connectors, such as those used to fasten a door to frame, and living hinges. Living hinges may be constructed from plastic and formed integrally between two members. A living hinge permits pivotable movement of one member in relation to another connected member.
As used herein, the term “substantially” refers to something which is done to a great extent or degree; for example, “substantially covered” means that a thing is at least 95% covered.
As used herein, the term “alignment” refers to the spatial property possessed by an arrangement or position of things in a straight line or in parallel lines.
As user herein, the terms “orientation” or “position” used interchangeably herein refer to the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated; for example, “the position of the hands on the clock.”
As used herein, the term “cell” refers to a cavity contained in foam. A cell is closed when the cell membrane surrounding the cavity or enclosed opening is not perforated and has all membranes intact. Cell connectivity occurs when at least one wall of the cell membrane surrounding the cavity has orifices or pores that connect to adjacent cells, such that an exchange of fluid is possible between adjacent cells.
As used herein, the term “compression” refers to the process or result of pressing by applying force on an object, thereby increasing the density of the object.
As used herein, the term “elastomer” refers to material having elastomeric or rubbery properties. Elastomeric materials, such as thermoplastic elastomers, are generally capable of recovering their shape after deformation when the deforming force is removed. Specifically, as used herein, elastomeric is meant to be that property of any material which upon application of an elongating force, permits that material to be stretchable to a stretched length which is at least about 25 percent greater than its relaxed length, and that will cause the material to recover at least 40 percent of its elongation upon release of the stretching elongating force. A hypothetical example which would satisfy this definition of an elastomeric material in the X-Y planar dimensions would be a one (1) inch (2.54 cm) sample of a material which is elongatable to at least 1.25 inches (3.18 cm) and which, upon being elongated to 1.25 inches (3.18 cm) and released, will recover to a length of not more than 1.15 inches (2.92 cm). Many elastomeric materials may be stretched by much more than 25 percent of their relaxed length, and many of these will recover to substantially their original relaxed length upon release of the stretching, elongating force. In addition to a material being elastomeric in the described X-Y planar dimensions of a structure, including a web or sheet, the material can be elastomeric in the Z planar dimension. Specifically, when a structure is applied compression, it displays elastomeric properties and will essentially recover to its original position upon relaxation. Compression set is sometimes used to describe such elastic recovery.
As used herein, the term “open cell” refers to any cell that has at least one broken or missing membrane or a hole in a membrane.
As used herein, the term “plasticizing agent” refers to a chemical agent that can be added to a rigid polymer to add flexibility to rigid polymers. Plasticizing agents typically lower the glass transition temperature.
As used herein, the term “polymer” generally includes but is not limited to, homopolymers, copolymers, including block, graft, random and alternating copolymers, terpolymers, etc., and blends and modifications thereof. Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically limited, the term “polymer” shall include all possible molecular geometrical configurations of the material. These configurations include, but are not limited to isotactic, syndiotactic and atactic symmetries.
As used herein, the term “surfactant” is a compound, such as detergents and wetting agents, that affects the surface tension of fluids.
As used herein, the term “thermoplastic” is meant to describe a material that softens and/or flows when exposed to heat and which substantially returns to its original hardened condition when cooled to room temperature.
As used herein the terms “nonwoven fabric”, “nonwoven material”, or “nonwoven web” means a web having a structure of individual fibers or threads which are interlaid, but not in an identifiable manner as in a knitted fabric. Nonwoven fabrics or webs have been formed from many processes such as for example, meltblowing processes, spunbonding processes, and bonded carded web processes. The basis weight of nonwoven fabrics is usually expressed in ounces of material per square yard (osy) or grams per square meter (g/m2 or gsm) and the fiber diameters useful are usually expressed in microns. (Note that to convert from osy to gsm, multiply osy by 33.91).
As used herein the term “microfibers” means small diameter fibers having an average diameter not greater than about 75 microns, for example, having an average diameter of from about 0.5 microns to about 50 microns, or more particularly, microfibers may have an average diameter of from about 2 microns to about 25 microns. Another frequently used expression of fiber diameter is denier, which is defined as grams per 9000 meters of a fiber and may be calculated as fiber diameter in microns squared, multiplied by the density in grams/cc, multiplied by 0.00707. A lower denier indicates a finer fiber and a higher denier indicates a thicker or heavier fiber. For example, the diameter of a polypropylene fiber given as 15 microns may be converted to denier by squaring, multiplying the result by 0.89 g/cc and multiplying by 0.00707. Thus, a 15 micron polypropylene fiber has a denier of about 1.42 (152×0.89×0.00707=1.415). Outside the United States the unit of measurement is more commonly the “tex”, which is defined as the grams per kilometer of fiber. Tex may be calculated as denier/9.
As used herein, the term “spunbond”, “spunbonded”, and “spunbonded filaments” refers to small diameter continuous filaments which are formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material as filaments from a plurality of fine, usually circular, capillaries of a spinnerette with the diameter of the extruded filaments then being rapidly reduced as by, for example, eductive drawing and/or other well-known spun-bonding mechanisms. The production of spunbonded nonwoven webs is illustrated in patents such as, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563 to Appel et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner et al. The disclosures of these patents are hereby incorporated by reference.
As used herein the term “meltblown” means fibers formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material through a plurality of fine, usually circular die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into converging high velocity gas (e.g. air) streams which attenuate the filaments of molten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which may be to microfiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Such a process is disclosed, in various patents and publications, including NRL Report 4364, “Manufacture of Super-Fine Organic Fibers” by B. A. Wendt, E. L. Boone and D. D. Fluharty; NRL Report 5265, “An Improved Device For The Formation of Super-Fine Thermoplastic Fibers” by K. D. Lawrence, R. T. Lukas, J. A. Young; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241, issued Nov. 19, 1974, to Butin, et al.
As used herein, the term “bonded carded webs” refers to webs that are made from staple fibers which are usually purchased in bales. The bales are placed in a fiberizing unit/picker which separates the fibers. Next, the fibers are sent through a combining or carding unit which further breaks apart and aligns the staple fibers in the machine direction so as to form a machine direction-oriented fibrous non-woven web. Once the web has been formed, it is then bonded by one or more of several bonding methods. One bonding method is powder bonding wherein a powdered adhesive is distributed throughout the web and then activated, usually by heating the web and adhesive with hot air. Another bonding method is pattern bonding wherein heated calender rolls or ultrasonic bonding equipment is used to bond the fibers together, usually in a localized bond pattern through the web and or alternatively the web may be bonded across its entire surface if so desired. When using bi-component staple fibers, through-air bonding equipment is, for many applications, especially advantageous.
As used herein “multilayer laminate” means a laminate wherein one or more of the layers may be spunbond and/or meltblown such as a spunbond/meltblown/spunbond (SMS) laminate and others as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,203 to Brock et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,706 to Collier, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,727 to Potts et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,931 to Perkins et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,885 to Timmons et al. Such a laminate may be made by sequentially depositing onto a moving forming belt first a spunbond fabric layer, then a meltblown fabric layer and last another spunbond layer and then bonding the laminate in a manner described below. Alternatively, the fabric layers may be made individually, collected in rolls, and combined in a separate bonding step. Such fabrics usually have a basis weight of from about 0.1 to 12 osy (6 to 400 gsm), or more particularly from about 0.40 to about 3 osy. Multilayer laminates for many applications also have one or more film layers which may take many different configurations and may include other materials like foams, tissues, woven or knitted webs and the like.
As used herein, the term “continuous filaments”, refers to strands of continuously formed polymeric filaments having a length to diameter ratio of at least about a thousand and usually much higher. Such filaments will typically be formed by extruding molten material through a die head having a certain type and arrangement of capillary holes therein.
As used herein, the term “staple fiber”, refers to a fiber that has been formed or cut to a staple lengths of generally 20 centimeters or less.
The term “pulp” as used herein refers to fibers from natural sources such as woody and non-woody plants. Woody plants include, for example, deciduous and coniferous trees. Non-woody plants include, for example, cotton, flax, esparto grass, milkweed, straw, jute hemp, and bagasse.
These terms may be defined with additional language in the remaining portions of the specification.